Leicester man gets 24 years on child porn charges

A Leicester man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison on child pornography charges related to his abuse of a 5-year-old girl, the daughter of his former friend.

Jason Clark, 31, pleaded guilty in May to five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography, transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns took the prosecution's recommendation and sentenced Mr. Clark Thursday to 24 years in prison. Mr. Clark's lawyer, Brian Murphy, had recommended 15 years.

Mr. Murphy declined to comment further on the case.

The crimes occurred in Brimfield. Between October 2010 and October 2011, Mr. Clark took pictures of his sexual abuse of the 5-year-old, disseminated child pornography, and traded it with others, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz.

Mr. Clark was close friends with the girl's mother and the mother's fiance. He sometimes baby-sat the child, and sometimes stayed overnight at the family's house in a room adjacent to the child's room.

Online, he expressed a desire to sexually abuse other young children, and in court, he admitted betraying the trust of the girl and her mother, according to Ms. Ortiz' office.

Mr. Clark's cooperation with prosecutors led to the conviction of Anthony Hanifan in Florida on numerous charges, including sexual battery of a 2-year-old girl. Mr. Hanifan faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison in Florida.

In a prepared statement, Ms. Ortiz said, “People who produce, solicit, trade and collect child pornography can cause a lifetime of pain for children and those closest to the young victims.”

The written victim impact statements submitted to the court bear that out. While they focused on the harm to the girl herself and urged the judge to give Mr. Clark the longest possible sentence, they also spoke of her mother's feelings of guilt and how the girl's extended family, normally close, can't figure out how to talk to each other about it.

One of the statements reads, “As we speak, there is some sicko sitting there looking at those pictures for his pleasure, and another one trading it for other photos.”

One of Mr. Clark's former friends wrote that he and his wife have started to isolate their own daughter. “Because of Jason, we fear everyone's intentions. We second guess everyone that has been in our life, because if Jason could do this, anyone could.”

A former roommate said it sickened him to finally learn why Mr. Clark kept changing computers.

Mr. Clark also has an outstanding case in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield. His next court date in that case, in which he is charged with indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, is Sept. 18.